Robert Gates named chancellor of William and Mary

Robert Gates, formerly the defense secretary and president of Texas A&M University, has accepted a post as chancellor of his alma mater, the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Va., according to the Washington Post.

Though the position is mostly a sinecure — there is a president who actually runs the college — it looks like Gates won’t be coming back to Texas, as many had secretly hoped.

Before Gates, the position was held by retired U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor.

According to Jason Ukman at the Washington Post, Gates has said he is “planning on writing two books — a memoir and a treatise on leadership — and on joining the well-trodden speaking circuit for former Washington officials.”